Finally 9's...

[TPG Tuning]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Finally...

This is a novel so beware.
Cliff notes version- The troubles we've experience, the relationships we built, thanking our sponsors, the goals we have achieved.

Anyone who has followed TPG knows this has been quite a journey we have embarked on. Full of highs, but mainly low's. We took on a new platform we had never touched before. We jumped in head first hoping to apply our knowledge and passion of the sport to a brand new car, and a brand new engine. Little did we know the headache and heartache we were about to incur.

Flashback 2.5 years. Originally purchasing our car, we felt there was massive untapped potential. Incorporating a DCT trans into a twin turbo inline 6 and slapping an M3/M4 badge on it had the whole community buzzing. We started with this car in hopes of producing a few parts, diving into the tuning side, and seeing where we could take it from there.

The saga begins..

We spent a few weeks developing a true 3" turbo back exhaust with a local fabricator. We produced what we called our "Race Exhaust". We were ecstatic , the car sounded outrageous. The exhaust fit very well and looked even better. We then contracted a company to mass produce the exhaust to cut down on production costs in turn cutting down overall cost. $30,000.00 later we were left with a bunch of pre-bent metal that didn't fit. Jigs that were wrong. Missing clamps, bolts, flanges. The exhaust project had been put on hold until we could figure out what came next.

Move onto turbo's. Epic, failure. Continually testing led us to spend thousands upon thousands and eventually led to a falling out with the manufacturer. Overall we had about $15,000.00 into helping develop a turbo that we no longer could use.

Move on to tuning. Work closely with someone to develop tuning packages for bolt on cars to big turbo cars. More thousands of dollars poured into the project and development. We started building a single turbo kit on the assurance it was able to be tuned easily on the stock dme. Weeks spent traveling between countries, issue after issue arising , files being held hostage , progress completely halted. Finally parting ways and starting from scratch. Another $20,000.00 lost.

Then comes the all so well known crank hub failures. In prepping for a half mile event we put Pure Stage 2 turbo's on our 6-speed M3. Midnight only a few hours before we leave for the race we are on the dyno attempting to dial the car in.
Then it happens, vanos codes, long cranking, drivetrain malfunction. After a short conversation with Terry at BMS it was determined the crank timing may have slipped. We didn't make the race, dropped the car at the dealer who confirms the crank timing slipped. They fix it with new parts a week later. We pick the car up and on the way home, drivetrain malfunction. The crank hub had spun again. We take the car back to the dealer. They fix it without using new parts this time. We pick the car up 2 days later. Fast forward a week , drivetrain malfunction.

At this point our DCT car had yet to spin the hub so we figured it could possibly have something to do with only the manual cars. We spoke to our close friend and machinist about the failures and how could we try and remedy it. Then comes the pinned crank hub. He tells us he can pin the actual hub and slot the gear to keep it from moving. We were willing to try anything and installed it a few days later. Months go by with no issues, thousands of hard miles and not the slightest hiccup. Hours spent on the dyno with Jesse @ Pure turning the car up to 670whp , total success we thought.

After having such great success we decided to offer the setup to the public. Having installed a few in our shop and no issues to report we felt confident and happy such a simple solution existed. Some of the biggest powered cars out there were all utilizing the setup for a year or so with no issues. ( Some of the fastest cars in the world are still to this day using this setup) Then came a failure. Instead of speaking to us, a fanboy caught wind and decided to begin the attack here on bimmerpost. Then came the crucifixion.

Thread after thread, opinion after opinion, every person informed or not attempting to dissect the idea, the logic , the failure. " Fear mongering" claiming this was never an issue and we only made it up for marketing. People saying this is a big issue, others saying this was never an issue. Everyone coming up with their own theory as to why we were wrong and they were right. We heard it all. We accepted responsibility for the failures and moved on.

After offering refunds to those who wanted it we decided to push forward on trying to find a stronger more viable solution to this issue. We worked with a company designed a one piece billet setup that incorporated the timing gear into the hub. We felt very good about this piece, we felt very confident in the gear manufacturer's 50+ years of hands on experience. We produced 5 pieces initially which cost over $1,000.00 a piece.

At the same time we decided to look into the damper. It was gigantic and extremely heavy, so we decided to lighten it. We shaved 4lbs off the stock damper, installed a billet hub in both our M3 and M4 and put the cars back together. Simultaneously offering the other pieces to different people around the world for broader testing. Then someone said the chain didn't make a full circle around the gear and sparked a debate about using it. To this day not one of those has been tested and most haven't even been returned. Also to this day this is the exact setup we used in both cars to set dyno and 1/4 mile records.

Having put so much time, money, effort into the development of this platform and having very little to show for it was disheartening. Constant sarcasm from " experts " regarding the highly publicized failures began to push us to a limit of no return.

Then after having a conversation between shop owners, employees , machinists, friends and family. We decided to say screw it. Let people say what they want. Let people ridicule our every move. The idea of the car went from parts production and advertisement , to a personal quest to prove to ourselves and our sponsors what we can achieve when we stop worrying about the world and focus on the goal at hand. When truly focused , incredible things happened and although it was a brutal path taken, we couldn't be happier with the outcome.



Fast forward to the people involved in the success of these cars.

Pure Turbo's - Jesse has been incredible, offering support to us from day one. Even when we pushed him away for others he offered complete and total support to our shop. We have tested and tested and tested and can say from true experience, there is no better turbo company for the BMW platform than Pure.

HC Performance - Halim is a true badass on the laptop. Having had such a bad experience attempting developing tunes with another company, working with Halim was eye opening as to just how much more knowledgeable he was. Every flash the car felt better and stronger. Any time we changed a part, fuel , etc. Halim was there to provide exceptional quality and efficient tuning support.

Burger Tuning - Terry from Burger Motorsports has been integral part of this entire process. We have been back and forth so many times testing, logging, changing , adjusting trying to get this car dialed in as best we could. Tons of last minute updates and firmware changes. The support he provides for all of his products is astounding. Quite frankly I am unsure how he is able to answer people back the way he does. We needed a custom firmware the day before our track event and he had it coded and sent over by morning. Thank you again to Terry and his entire crew at BMS, we couldn't have done it without you.

Maximum PSI - Mike from Maximum PSI has a huge passion for the BMW brand. Late night calls, texts, FB messages bouncing ideas back and forth. Having that ability to speak with fellow competitors and help one another shows how far this industry has come.

RK-Tunes - Jordan helped settle us down when our 6-Speed car was in shambles. He worked hard on getting a file setup when the previous tuner decided to hold it hostage. From day one the 6-speed car was noticeably faster, smoother and more consistent pull to pull. I finally had confidence in the car and eventually we set a record together. Thank you for all the help and support.

Fuel-It - Steve contacted us about testing a few new parts. Having had the car dialed in fairly well as is we were extremely nervous to make changes but, we had confidence in his product and the team supporting the car. The fuel system provided by Fuel-It was outstanding. We had a total mess of extra pumps , methanol ,lines , tank etc trying to fuel this car. All of which could be eliminated by one simple , efficient , powerful fuel system. From the moment it was installed the car was running smoother, more reliable, more consistently. We could now run full E85 supporting 750+whp. Thank you to Fuel-It for continuing development and providing seamless fueling upgrades to a extremely complicated platform.

Evolution of Speed - Mike you make some absolutely stunning products. Having the luxury of testing pieces that not only look incredible but perform even better is a huge reason we were able to accomplish the goals we set out for. Constant communication and insanely fast service and response makes your company as successful as it is. Thank you again for everything you have done for us.

ShepTrans and Dodson Motorsports - The fastest and most powerful DCT transmissions in the world all have one thing in common, these two names. Fortunately for TPG we have been a long time friend and customer of ShepTrans which led us to a great relationship with Dodson Motorsports. We are proud to be running your products , we could not have achieved our goals or set the records we did without you. Cheers!

Driveshaft Shop- Frank and the guys at DSS have been incredible for us. After constant axle failure we decided to send them to DSS and see what they could make us. The result was beyond what we could have expected. Secondly after having broken the factory driveshaft we turned again to DSS. They were able to make us a custom drivehsaft and have it at our door , perfect fitment and much stronger all in a matter of 4 days. True leaders in the axle and driveshaft industry we thank you for all your help and knowledge.

P&R Engine - P&R is a company with 50+ years experience . Fortunately for us they like us. They were critical in our engine program development for the S55. I think the results speak for themselves. Nothing but results. Withstanding the highest power , torque, and fastest times of any car out there with never skipping a beat. Our S55 engine is for lack of better words, a true badass.

A&L BMW - You guys are family to us and your continued support in our passion for more power as well as always supporting our local community is humbling and we can't thank you enough.


Lastly, 9's.

We set out to be the FIRST 10 second F8X - We achieved that.

We set out to be the First 10 Second F8X 6-Speed - We achieved that.

We set out to be the First 9 Second F8X on the planet - I can happily say we have achieved just that.

Worlds Quickest and Fastest BMW F8X - 9.98 @ 145.02










Carnage -

Axles - 5
Driveshaft - 2
Destroyed Motor - 1
Bent Valves - 32
Blown Turbos - 6 *Not Pure*

Overall investment $100k+ plus cost of car. Would we do it again? You bet your ass.


If you made it this far, thank you for your time. And thank you to everyone involved.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Good job guys

[BMW M4 PWR]

Great works guys, I'm sure there will be many others AFTER you guys now that you've blazed the path, and worked through all the bugs. Not to mention the SCH solutions now proven because of these goals.

NEXT! Aftermarket exhaust manifolds allowing us to run larger than stock-framed turbos which will truly take this platform to the next level*

[F1nLMSFan]

Congrats!!

[M1rider]

Woah.... awesome post!!! Congrats on the results

[hecho.in.626]

That's what I'm talking about!

[NFAM3]

Congratulations!!!!

[humbertin0]

Congrats fellas!

[M&M]

Well done guys!

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Damn.......

[BuLoOoSki]

Congrats guys! Care to list what was the car's setup?

[TPG Tuning]

Originally Posted by BuLoOoSki

Congrats guys! Care to list what was the car's setup?

Sure thing-

TPG Built S55 LongBlock Including Ported Head
TPG Billet One Piece Crank Hub W/ Modified Damper
TPG Race Exhaust
TPG Custom Ice Tank Setup
Fuel-It Port Injection and Proto-Type LPFP
Pure Turbo's Stage 2 Hi Flow
Evolution of Speed Billet Intercooler
Evolution of Speed Billet Intake Manifold
Dodson Motorsports Clutch Packs
Driveshaft Shop Axles and Driveshaft
HC Performance Back End Flash
Burger Tuning JB4 - Custom Firmware
Burger Tuning Intakes and Charge Pipes
Weld RTS Wheels - Hoosier Slicks

That's pretty much it for the most part.

[Andym3100k]

Congrats! Never give up 💪🏻

[CPWINCH]

Awesome Job! Could you share your launch technique? First gear launch? Launch control?

[zac5]

Congrats TPG tuning!

[JoeyBananas]

Awesome! Congrats!

[NFAM3]

I was actually looking for a wheel and slick combination for my car now. What are the specs on the Weld wheel?

[AlexNFH]

Congratulations.



Alex

[TPG Tuning]

Thanks guys ,

They are Weld RTS 17" wheels and 28" hoosiers. I don't know the offset off the top of my head.

[SpeedDemon7]

Originally Posted by TPG Tuning

Thanks guys ,

They are Weld RTS 17" wheels and 28" hoosiers. I don't know the offset off the top of my head.

This is awesome!! Congratulations.

Did you have to downsize the rear brakes to run 17"?

[TPG Tuning]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon7

This is awesome!! Congratulations.

Did you have to downsize the rear brakes to run 17"?

Yes there is some modification needed to make these fit. Mike at Maximum had a much better solution setup but not sure if he ever made it available to the public. I would try his setup before modifying the rear brakes like we did.

[NFAM3]

Originally Posted by TPG Tuning

Yes there is some modification needed to make these fit. Mike at Maximum had a much better solution setup but not sure if he ever made it available to the public. I would try his setup before modifying the rear brakes like we did.

That's my problem. I have a Brembo BBK so don't know what fits.